Electric liquid-quantity indicator



Feb. 8, 1927. 1,616,529

A A. DITTLINGER ET AL ELECTRIC LIQUID QUANTITY INDICATOR Filed Feb.18,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 8, 1927. v 1,616,529

A. DITTLINGER ET AL ELECTRIC LIQUID QUANTITY INDICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Feb. 18, 1924 Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATEN 1,616,529 T oFFICE.

ALPHONS DITTLIGER, NICHOLAS DITTLINGER, .AN D EMIL V. DITTLINGER, J' R.,OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ELECTRIC LIQUID-QUANTITY INDICATOR.

Application filed February Our invention relates to improvements inelectric liquid quantity indicators and has for its primary object anelectrically operated device which will indicate the quantity of liquidsin a container.

A further object is to construct an electrically operated quantityindicating device which will indicate the amount of liquid in thecontainer and which is s@ constructed that the indication can beascertained at will so that a constant use of electric current isunnecessary.

A still further object is to construct a quantity indicating devicewhich is especially applicable to automobiles and which is so designedas to only indicate the quantity of liquid in the fuel tank when theignition switch is turned on and in this manner a constant drain on thestorage battery while the machine is idle, is eliminated.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a Jragmental View ot the fuel tank of anautomobile and the instrument board showing my device in position; u

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ot' Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal view ot the current regulating devicetaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; A

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section oit 'the support taken on the line 5-5 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom contact brushemployed;

Fig. 7-is a top plan view of the current controlled member; and

Fig. 8 isy a diagrammatic view showing the connections.

In the construction of our device we employ a liquid tank 9 which isprovided with an opening 10, preferably on its top. Secured to the tankand surrounding the opening 10 is a screw threaded flange 11. Securedover the flange 11 is a screw threaded collar 12 which is provided withan inturn portion 13. This inturn portion is adapted to rest von agasket or washer 14 which is preferably ot resihent material. Resting onthe flange 11 or rather its upper edge is a disk 15 which is providedwith a cylindrical extending portion 16 terminating in a flange 17. Thedisk 15 is provided with a lipped or flanged opening -18 into which asleeve or bushing 19 is pressed. The ilange 17 is pro- 18, 1924. SerialNo. 693,692.

vided with an opening 20, which opening is concentric with the opening18 and bushing 19. The flange 17 is also provided with screw threadedopenings 21, the purpose ot which will be explained in detail later.

Secured to the disk or plate 15 is a support 22, which is preferably Tshaped in cross section (see Fig. 5) this T shaped construction is torrigidity. Secured to the support 22 is a-bracket 23 which is providedwith an opening to receive the shaft 24. Adjacent the lower end of thesupport 22 is a bracket which is likewise provided with an openingthrough which the shaft 24 extends. The bracket 25 is also provided witha downwardly extending portion 26 which is parallel to the support 22.This downwardly extending portion, as well as the lower portion of thesupport 22, are provided with openings through which a rod 27 passes,these openings forming bearings for the rod. The rod 27 is l. shaped andhas mounted on that portion between the support 22 and portion 26 abevel gear 28 which meshes with a bevel gear 29 carried by the lower endof the shaft 24. Surrounding the rod 27 is a sleeve 30; the purpose ot'this sleeve is to eliminate any possibility of end play in the rod 27.Tn other words, its purpose is to prevent the gears 28 and 29 frombinding'.

Secured to the end 31 of the rod 27 is a rod 32; this rod is preferablyof less diameter than the end 31, and is secured thereto by welding,although the end 31 may be drawn down to, 'the smaller diameter ifdesired. The rod 32 passes through a bracket 33 which is secured to afloat 34 in any Well known manner. The bracket 33 is secured to the rod32 by means of a screw 35. This screw securing means permits the float34 to be adjustably secured to the rod; the purpose of this adjustablesecuring will be explained in detail later.

Secured to the upper end of the shaft 24 by means of a set screw 36 isan insulating shaft 37. This insulating shaft may be constructed ot' anywell known insulating Ina-- terial, such as hard rubber and the like,and is provided with a reduced portion 38 to which isA attached arheostat 39. This rheostat may be of any of the well known barrel typessuch as are used in radio work and consists of a cylindrical coil ofWire 40 wound around a cylinder 41, the whole being supported butinsulated from the metallic plates which form the top and bottom of therheostat, with the exception that the end 42 of the coil 40 is attachedto the bottom plate. The rheostat 39 is secured to the reduced end oftheinsulating shaft 37 by means of a screw 43. ,TheI rheostat is mounted ina housing 44 which is cup shaped and has resting onlits bottom aninsulating plate 45. Extending through this plate, the bottom ofthe'housing 44 and into the flange 17 4are screws 46 by means of whichthe cup and housing 44 are secured to the plate 15. Carried bytheinsulating plate are binding posts 47 and 48, the binding ypost 47connecting with the bottom contact brush 49 which contacts with thebottom plate of the rheostat and permits electric energy to pass intothe end 42 of the coil 40. Secured to the post 48 is a contact brush 50which contacts with the coil 40 and as the rheostat revolves delivers acurrent to the indicator and gradually decreases the resistance. Securedto the binding post 47 is an electrical conductor land secured to thebrush 5() is a conductor 52; both these conductors'are preferably7,inserted through a flexible conduit 53'A secured to the housing 44.This conduit is mainlyI for the protection of the yinsulation around theconductors 51 and 52. The conductor 51 is secured to the post 54 of aswitch 55, 'while the conductor 52 is connected to one postof theindicator 53, the other post of thel indicator being grounded as at 56.The post 57 of the switch 55 is connected to one terminal of anysuitable source of electrical energy 58, in this instance a storagebattery, the other terminal being grounded as at 59.

It will be noted from Fig. 8 that we have shown'our device as connectedin the ignition system of an automobile and in which GG represents thespark plug and 6l the grounded portion of the plug.

The installation and operation of our device is as follows After thatportion of the device which ts into the liquid tank has been assembled,with the exception of the float, and the depth of the tank measured, thefloat is adjusted on the rod 32 to such a position that when the tank isemptied, the rheostat will be in the position shown in Fig. 3, and whenin its highest. possible. position or when the tank is full,-be revolvedsutiicient to contact with the last coil of the rheostat, or in otherwords cut out all resistance. The screw 35 is then tightened and the rod32 out off leaving however the portion 66 which may be bent over so asto prevent any possibility of the float sliding off of the rod 32 in theevent `that the screw 35 becomes loosened. The

wire or conductor 51 is then attached to one pole of an electric switchand the source of electrical energy to the opposite pole, The

conductor 52 is attached to one pole of the indicator and the other poleof the indicator grounded or so connected that a complete electriccurrent will be established on closing of the switch. f

lVhen the tank is completely empty the contact brush will be on theneutral point vof the rheostat, and when the circuit is closed nothingwill be indicated on the indicator,-

As liquid is poured into the container the float commences to rise andoperates the gear mechanism thus rotating the shaft and operating therheostat. As the float rises the resistance in the rheostat-is graduallylessened and the hand of the indicator advances thus indicating theamount of liquid in the container. Upon operating the switch and cuttingolf the current the indicator hand naturally falls back to zero but assoon as the electric circuit is re-established the device at encefunctions and properly indicates the amount of liquid in the tank.

This may be done either as illustrated in the drawings, tovindicate---empty, onefourth, one-half, three-fourths or full-or toindicate the amount of gallons;however for general purposes theindication shown meets all requirements.

An essential feature of our device is that its action is in no wayaffected either by temperature changes or absorption of gases and isconsequently accurate under all conditions of temperature.

lVe may if desired place a glass plate 62 over the housing 44 andprovide said plate with a line 63 and mark the top of the rheostat tocorrespond with the graduation on the indicator 53 so that the quantityof liquid in the container may be ascertained at more than one place.

Our device is especially useful on automobiles because the indicator canbe mounted on the dash-board and the simple turning on of the ignitionswitch will at once indicate the amount of fuel in the tank, thisindication continuing as long as the switch is turned on so that thedriver of a motor vehicle can readily determine the amount of fuel inhis tank as he is traveling along the road and at the same time when thevehicle is stopped L.nd the ignition turned oil' no drain on the batterywill result, due to the fact that the indicator is automaticallydisc0nnected from the source of electrical energy by the. stopping ofthe engine.

Our device is also extremely useful in filling stations because theindicator can be n'iount-ed in the lilling station and the mere turningof a switch will notify the attendant as to the quantity of motor fuelin his underground tank thus obviating all necessity of measuringsticks.

It is to be further noted that all of the electrical connections in ourdevice are well insulated and` entirely removed from any possiblecontactwith gasoline fumes, so that -even should a spark result at anyof the connections, there will be no dangerl of ignitionof gases.

While` we have shown the rheostat as rotating still it is obvious thatthe rheostat could be held against rotation and the contact brush 50arranged to be rotated by the float mechanism without in any waydeparting from' the spirit of our invention; and that we may alsosubstitute what is commercially known as a potentiometer in place of theordinary rheostat. The purpose however, of usingthis potentiometer ismerely to give a more accurate or finer regulation of voltage to theindicator, .this extremely fine regulating being especially desiredwhere the quantity? in gallons such as most probably would be used-.forfilling, stations, is to be indicated.

It is to be understood of course that our indicator will be soconstructed as to take care of various voltages in the case of fillingstations and similar places; the indicator can be constructed for. thevoltage of the light circuit while in the case of motor vehicles theindicator will be constructed for the voltage of the battery or magneto.

We may also if desired construct our device so asto work the reverse ofthe manner described, or in other words, carry the full voltage of thecurrent to the indicator when the tank is empty or gradually reduce itas the tank becomes filled, without departing from the spirit ofourinvention.

Having fully descrlbed' our invention, what we claim 1s:-

1. A device of the class described coln-- prising a plate, a framesecured to one face `of said plate, a rod pivotally mounted in saidframe adjacent its lower end, a oat slidably mounted on said rod, meansforv holding said float, against accidental sliding, a shaft supported bsaid frame and extending through said p ate, gears secured tosaid rodand shaft and meshing with each other whereby said shaft isrotated whenthe iioat lrises and falls, a housingl secured to the face of said plateopposite t at to which the frame is secured, an insulating shaft securedto the first mentioned shaftl and extending into said housing, and arheostat located within the housing and secured to said insulatingshaft.

2. A device of the class described comprising a plate having a centralopening, a bushing secured in said opening, a flanged cylindricalprojection integral with one face of said plate and concentric with saidopening, a frame secured to the opposite face of said plate, an L shapedshaft pivotally mounted in said frame adjacent its lower end, a slidfable float located on said rod, means for securing said float to saidrod, means for retaining the float on the rod in event the see curingmeans becomes accidentally loosened, al shaft supported by said frame,said shaft .extending through said bushing, an insulating shaft securedto the rst mentioned shaft and extending upward therefrom, a housingsecured to said hanged cylindrical projection and surrounding theinsulating shaft, a rheostat carried by said last mentioned shaft andlocated within said housing,iand` means carried by saidshaft and rodWhere-` by said shaft is rotated when the float rises and falls.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our I names to this specification.Y i

' ALPHONS DITTLINGER, v

NICHOLAS DI'I`TLIl\TGr]3}R.V EMIL V.,DITTLINGER, J R.

